suffete

A suffete presides over a court in ancient Carthage.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A chief magistrate in ancient Carthage: "suffete" refers to one of the two annually elected chief magistrates who held executive and judicial authority in the Carthaginian republic, similar to a consul in Rome.

Usage Examples

• (The chief magistrate led the governing body of the ancient city-state.)
• (Hamilcar held the highest civil office in Carthage.)

Advanced Usage

• "The office of suffete": the position or term of a Carthaginian chief magistrate.

  • The office of suffete was held for one year, and re-election was possible. (The term was annual, with potential for repeated service.)

• "Suffete and senate": the dual governing structure of Carthage, where the suffete worked with a council of elders.

  • The suffete and the senate together managed state affairs. (The magistrate and council collaborated in governance.)

Variants and Related Words

• Suffetes (plural noun): the collective body of chief magistrates.

  • The two suffetes were elected each year by the Carthaginian assembly. (The plural form refers to the pair of magistrates.)

• Suffetate (noun, rare): the term or office of a suffete.

  • His suffetate was marked by economic reform. (His time as suffete was notable for financial changes.)

Synonyms

• Magistrate: a civil officer with judicial authority.
• Consul (in a Roman context): one of two chief magistrates in ancient Rome, analogous to a suffete.
• Chief judge: a presiding officer of a court or council.

Related Idioms

• No idioms are associated with this specific historical term. However, in historical writing, one might encounter phrases like:
  • "To serve as suffete": to hold the highest civil office in Carthage.

    • He served as suffete during a time of war. (He was a chief magistrate in a period of conflict.)